Brassieres



June 16, 1959 I FARlNd 2,890,702

BRASSIERES Filed May 10, 1957 INVENTOR. l kAlvA law/No United States Patent BRASSIERES Frank Farina, South Euclid, Ohio, assignor to Leading Lady Foundations, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, at corporation of Ohio Application May 10, 1957, Serial No. 658,349

4 Claims. (Cl. 128-'-460) This invention relates to brassieres and more particularly to a brassiere having a dual purpose and function, that is, which may without change be worn either as a maternity brassiere during pregnancy or may be worn as a conventional brassiere.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide a brassiere which, without alteration or change, may be worn not only as a conventional brassiere but may be worn during the various stages of pregnancy and which will, during such stages, conform itself to the changing contours of the breast area of the body of the wearer.

A further object of this invention is a brassiere of this type which will at all times assure comfort to the wearer under all conditions of use.

Another object of the invention is a brassiere which is self-adjusting to comfortably and safely support the breasts of the wearer particularly during the advancing stages of pregnancy.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple brassiere structure incorporating an elastic stretchable torso encircling band and a pair of breast cups together with shoulder straps connecting the cups with the rear' portion of the band, and in which the elastic band is stretchable only in a direction lengthwise of the band.

Another object of the invention is a breast cup structure comprising upper and lower cup sections each extending in a curved path, the respective adjacent end portions of which intersect or overlie one another, and between which sections there is provided a lateral opening of changeable area through which the nipple and the apex portion of the breast may freely extend.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a breast cup structure of this type in which the upper cup section alone is elastic for lengthwise stretching, the bottom cup section being flexible but non-elastic.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for supporting the respective cups from shoulder straps in a manner preventing injurious stresses or strains on the breast under body bending, twisting or other torso movements.

A still further object of the invention is to assure complete comfort and safety to the wearer whether or not the brassiere is worn during pregnancy.

Gther objects and advantages of my invention will become'apparent as the following description of an embodiment thereof progresses, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters are employed to designate like parts throughout the same.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a brassiere embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1, enlarged and illustrating the relative positions of the parts when the brassiere is worn under normal circumstances and when the breast is not distended; and

Figure 3 is a sectional view similar to that shown in Figure 2 but illustrates how the breast cup is self-adjust- I Patented June 16, 1959 able and self-aligning with the changing contour of the breast during advancing stages of pregnancy and even during the post natal period.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a body e11 circling band 1 which is preferably made of a woven material which -is elastic and stretchable lengthwise of the band but which is merely flexible and non-stretchable and non-elastic transversely of the band.

The body band is continuous in the front and sides and terminates in the rear in end portions 2 and 3 which may be connected together by means of a fastener strip 4 carrying a plurality of eyelets 5 arranged in rows or stepped relation to provide a number of lengthwise adjustments of the band about the body of the wearer. The end 3 of the band is provided with a plurality of hooks 6 which are adapted to engage the selected eyelets on the fastener strip 4 so that the band and brassiere may be comfortably adjusted to fit around the body of the wearer.

The body band in its forward portion comprises two breast cup areas, indicated generally at 7 and 8, and an upwardly extending middle section 9 which lies between the cups, the sections 7 and 8 and the middle section 9 all being elastic and stretchable in the longitudinal direction of the band, but not elastic transversely of the band.

Each breast cup comprises upper and lower breast engaging sections 10 and 11 which engage the upper and lower areas of the breast, respectively, and which provide between them an opening of variable area indicated in Figs. 2 and 3 at 12 to permit the nipple and apex portion of the breast to extend thereinto and forwardly and free of the sections 10 and 11. The lower cup section It is preferably made of a woven fabric material which is flexible but non=stretchable in any direction to thereby act as a firm supporting member for the under portion of the breast. The upper cup section preferably is formed of a woven fabric material which is characterized'by its being elastic lengthwise of the section but not transversely thereof. Thus it will be seen that, while the bottom of the breast is firmly supported by the cup non-elastic section 11, the upper cup section 10 will encompass the upper portion of the breast gently and, because of its elasticity and ability to stretch lengthwise, will permit the breast to expand or distend during pregnancy and even during the postnatal period at no discomfort to the wearer and with no danger of inflicting injury to the breast.

The upper cup sections are sewed to the band 1 at 13 and to the intermediate portion 9 at 14. The lower cup sections are sewed to the band 1 along the edge indicated at 15 extending not only along the band but along the intermediate section 9. It will be noted as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3 that the respective ends of the upper cup sections intersect and overlie the adjacent ends of the lower cup sections. ll, as shown at 16.

The brassiere may be supported from the shoulders by shoulder straps l7 and l$ which are sewed at their rear ends to the body band as at 19 and which carry a buckle 2d at their forward end portions and adjustable therealong.

The fasteners or buckles 20 are preferably of the type indicated in the drawing wherein the forward ends of the shoulder straps may be adjustably fastened within the buckle and wherein the buckle is provided with a transverse slot or opening indicated at 21 through which a looped tape or ribbon 22 is threaded. One end of the tape is sewed to the upper cup section as at 23 and the other end of the tape extending through and forwardly of the buckle and downwardly thereof is sewed to the upper middle edge portion of a front shield-like member 24 as at 25. By such construction, it will be seen that as the breast expands from a normal contour as in Fig. 2,

p." --A A to a contour such as shown in Fig. 4, an automatic or self-adjusting relationship between the front member 24 and the upper cup section takes place. In Fig. 2 the upper portion of the front member is in its approximate uppermost position with respect to the upper cup section 10 but in Fig. 3, it will be seen that due to distention of the breast and a re-alignment of the parts of the cup,the upper portion of the front member 24 approaches the forwardmost edge or portion of the upper cup member 10. In this transition, it will be seen by observing Figs. 2 and 3, that the tape 22 has, by its sliding movement through the opening in the buckle, permitted the front member 24 to move forwardly and thereby to provide a gentle support for the expanding breast. At the same time, it will be observed from these figures that the upper and lower cup sections 10 and 11 will, at their forward portions, move relatively away from each other as the distention of the breast takes place from the normal position illustrated in Fig. 2 to the distended contour shown in Fig. 3. At the same time, the lower non-elastic cup section 11, throughout this adjustment, maintains a firm, yet gentle support for theibreast at the lower portion thereof, while the upper elastic cup section 10 permits the breast to expand and thus to elongate the section 10 and thereby enlarge the opening 12 during such expansion without discomfort or injury to the wearer.

Thus it will be seen that by my invention I have provided a brassiere which is capable of use by the wearer whether or not the wearer is pregnant, thus eliminating the necessity for wearing specially designed brassieres during pregnancy and conventional brassieres during non-pregnancy. I have accomplished the desired result by means of a relatively simple brassiere structure which is self-adjusting, which is economical to manufacture and which, primarily, is comfortable to the wearer under all conditions and which is not conducive to injury to the wearer.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts of the invention without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a brassiere construction self conforming to normal, pre-natal and post-natal wear, a body encircling band, a pair of breast cups each comprising a separate lower non-elastic breast supporting section and an upper elastic breast-engaging section, said sections overlying one another at their respective ends and secured together and to said band at said ends, a front shield member for each cup secured to said band, shoulder straps attached to the rear portion of said band and extending forwardly toward said cups, and adjustable loop receiving fastener on the forward portion of each strap and a looped tape slidable in each of said fasteners, each of said tapes having one end secured to a shield member and its other end secured to an upper elastic cup section respectively to thereby allow relative adjustment of the respective upper cup sections and shield members to comfortably support the breasts.

2. In a brassiere construction self conforming to normal, pre-natal and post-natal wear, a body encircling band formed throughout substantially its entire area of a material elastic only in the direction of its length, a pair of breast cups each comprising a separate lower non-elastic breast supporting section and an upper elastic breast engaging section, said sections overlying one another at their respective ends and secured together and to said band at said ends, a front shield member for each cup secured to said band, shoulder straps attached to the rear portion of said band and extending forwardly toward said cups, an adjustable loop receiving fastener on the forward portion of each strap and a looped tape slidable in each of said fasteners, each of said tapes having one end secured to a shield member and its other end secured to an upper elastic cup section respectively to thereby allow relative adjustment of the respective upper cup sections and shield members to comfortably support the breasts.

3. In a brassiere construction self conforming to normal, pre-natal and post-natal wear, a body encircling band formed throughout substantially its entire area of a material elastic only in the direction of its length, a pair of breast cups each comprising a separate lower non-elastic breast supporting section and an upper elastic breast engaging section, said sections overlyingone another at their respective ends and secured together and to said band atsaid ends, a front shield member for each cup secured to said band, shoulder straps attached to the rear portion of said band and extending forwardly toward said cups, an adjustable loop receiving fastener on the forward portion of each strap and a looped tape slidable in each of said fasteners, each of said tapes having one end secured to a shield member and its other end secured to an upper elastic cup section respectively to thereby allow relative adjustment of the respective upper cup sections and shield members to comfortably support the breasts, said upper cup sections being elastic only in the direction of their length and generally in the direction of elasticity of said body band.

4. In a brassiere construction self conforming to normal, pre-natal and post-natal wear, a body encircling band formed throughout substantially its entire area of a material elastic only in the direction of its length, a pair of breast cups each comprising a separate lower non-elastic breast supporting section and an upper cup section formed in its entirety of material elastic only in the direction of its greatest dimension, said sections overlying one an-' other at their respective ends and secured together and to said band at said ends, a front shield member for each cup secured to said band, shoulder straps attached to the rear portion of said band and extending forwardly toward I said cups, an adjustable loop receiving fastener on the forward portion of each strap and a looped tape slidable in each of said fasteners, each of said tapes having one end secured to a shield member and its other end secured to an upper elastic cup section respectively to thereby allow relative adjustment of the respective upper cup sections and shield members to comfortably support the breasts.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,218,414 Klass Mar. 6, 1917 2,679,048 Alberts May 25, 1954 2,734,193 Croxall Feb. 14, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,009,973 France Mar. 12, 1952 1,091,767 France Nov. 3, 1954 

